Former Indian opening batter and commentator Aakash Chopra has reckoned that the drawn game was equivalent to a defeat for Team India in the second Test against Sri Lanka, which concluded in Colombo.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra asserted that the drawn game would be a major setback for the Indian team, led by Shubman Gill, in their quest to qualify for the World Test Championship (WTC) final.
“Let’s first talk about the impact of us not being able to win this game on WTC. We have not lost. We have won the series. We have maintained our impeccable record against Sri Lanka, but this drawn game is as good as a win for Sri Lanka. For us, this drawn game is not really a loss, but it’s almost equal to a loss,” Chopra said.
Chopra added that the drawn result leaves very little scope as they aim to make it to the WTC Final. India will next take on New Zealand away from home in two Tests. Later, Australia will tour India for a five-match Test series.
“We have got four points. So it’s not bad. It would have been only 50 per cent points had we lost, and it is 66.67 per cent. So we have gained something, but it’s not good enough because Sri Lanka was a tour where you were hoping to get 100 per cent points,” he added.
“Then, in the remaining seven matches, two are against New Zealand in New Zealand, and five are against Australia in India; it would have worked out if an odd match had not gone in our favor. However, after this match was drawn, your comfort window is shrinking. The opening from which we can enter the final is shrinking. So this is going to be a tough one,” Chopra concluded.
